ZAGREB, August 20, 2018 – Interior Minister Davor Božinović denied on Monday allegations coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina that there are about eight thousand migrants in Croatia and responded that the number of migrants caught trespassing the entire border, including the border with Serbia, has amounted to 3,200 so far this year.
We are recording a 26% increase in the number of illegal crossings, of which, a significant number is still along the border with Serbia, Božinović said and added that the Croatian police were doing their job in accordance with the law and Schengen rules, with the aim of strengthening public order, peace, security and protection of all citizens and guests in Croatia.
Asked to comment on claims by residents in Drežnica, about 150 kilometres southeast of the capital Zagreb, that they are frequently seeing migrants, Božinović said that the police were stopping migrants at the border and that there were several ‘rings’ being monitored and have led to arrests of people smugglers.
It can always happen that someone may find their way, so to speak, to go through the borders, but we have a response for each of those situations, Božinović said and added that the number of smugglers brought to justice has increased by 70%.
The only way to decrease the flow of migrants along the route from Greece across Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina is via diplomatic channels and EU institutions and that is what we are doing, he said.
Most of these irregular migrants are economic migrants and not refugees that need safe haven and if everyone does their job along that route, the pressure on the borders will be reduced, he added.
Croatia’s police force is strong and flexible and provides safety and security at all times, Božinović said. In addition, Croatia is strengthening its technical resources and increasing its personnel, he said and added that this year 600 police recruits have enrolled for training compared to last year’s 380.
We foresee that we will be faced with the problem of illegal migrants for years to come, he concluded.
